1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of respiratory therapy and, more particularly, to respirator hoses used in conveying a breathing gas to a patient.
2. Description of the Background Art
Many forms of respiratory therapy involve use of a respirator hose to convey a breathing gas such as air to a patient. For such use, the respirator hose must be light enough to move about easily, but still be strong enough to resist crushing or kinking that would close-off flow of the breathing gas. A common method of fabricating respirator hoses is to wrap a thin, flexible plastic membrane about a helical or spiral support structure. The spiral support structure is typically formed of a hard metal wire or plastic.
In addition to respirator hoses, many forms of respiratory therapy require tubes running to or from the patient to convey other types of fluids. Some examples include tubes running from a breathing appliance such as a mask to a pressure sensor in the ventilator, tubes used to deliver water from a reservoir to a humidification device near a breathing appliance, and tubes used to deliver supplemental oxygen directly to a breathing appliance. With the growing complexity of respiratory therapy, many such situations exist or are envisioned for the future.
Multiple hoses and tubes running between the ventilator and the breathing appliance present the risk of tangling or inadvertent disconnection. Hooking up multiple hoses or tubes provides a potential source of error to the patient or nurse. Additionally, the presence of such extra hoses or tubes is an irritant for the patient, and may result in lack of compliance with the therapy.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for conveying several fluids between a breathing appliance and a ventilator without the use of additional hoses or tubes.
A first aspect of the present invention is generally characterized in a respirator hose for connection between a ventilator and a breathing appliance during respiratory therapy. The respirator hose includes a tubular body defining a first lumen for conveying a breathing gas from the ventilator, and a helical reinforcement member with a hollow core coiled around the tubular body to resist kinking and crushing of the tubular body while defining a second lumen for conveying a second fluid in furtherance of the respiratory therapy. The tubular body is preferably pleated, with the helical reinforcement member being coiled around the tubular body between pleats. More than one helical reinforcement member with a hollow core can be coiled around the tubular body to define additional lumens. A fitting can be provided at one end of the hose to connect the lumens with corresponding fluid communication ports on the ventilator. If provided, such fitting is preferably keyed to ensure the proper connections are made.
Another aspect of the present invention is generally characterized in a method of administering respiratory therapy including the steps of connecting a hose having a tubular body and a helical reinforcement member coiled around the tubular body between a ventilator and a breathing appliance worn by a patient, conveying a breathing gas from the ventilator to the patient via a first lumen defined by the tubular body, and conveying a second fluid in support of the respiratory therapy via a second lumen defined by the helical reinforcement member. In a first preferred embodiment, the second fluid is a medicament and the step of conveying a second fluid includes delivering the medicament to the patient via the second lumen. In a second preferred embodiment, the second fluid is a humidifying liquid and the step of conveying a second fluid includes delivering the humidifying liquid to a humidifying device near the breathing appliance via the second lumen. In a third preferred embodiment, the second fluid is gas from the breathing appliance and the step of conveying a second fluid includes delivering gas from the breathing appliance to a pressure sensor at the ventilator via the second lumen. In a fourth preferred embodiment, the second fluid is supplemental oxygen and the step of conveying a second fluid includes delivering the supplemental oxygen to the breathing appliance via the second lumen.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is generally characterized in a breathing appliance having a hose connected thereto which includes a tubular member defining a first lumen in fluid communication with a gas inlet opening in the breathing appliance and a helical reinforcement member with a hollow core defining a second lumen in communication with a second opening in the breathing appliance.
The term xe2x80x9cventilatorxe2x80x9d, as used herein, refers to any device of the type which generates a flow of breathing gas. The term xe2x80x9cbreathing appliancexe2x80x9d, as used herein, refers to a device, such as a mask, a nasal cannula, or a tracheostomy tube, that is worn by a patient to direct fluids from a hose into the patient""s respiratory system. The term xe2x80x9crespiratory therapyxe2x80x9d, as used herein, refers to any therapy or treatment wherein a breathing gas is delivered to a patient via a breathing appliance, including, by way of example, treatments for obstructive sleep apnea such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) therapy.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals are used to denote like parts.